The
wonderfully atmospheric Great Hall of the OldUniversity in Vienna was the setting for this fascinating
performance of Haydn's masterpiece. The three principals (the
three Archangels) are star names and deservedly so. The conductor,
Gustav Kühn, made a big splash in the UK
with a series of EMI releases before disappearing for a while.
His Ring cycle on Arte Nova is patchy, but I was very
impressed by his DVD Entführung,
which became a Disc of the Month in October 2005.

The
picture itself is possibly a tad grainy, but this seems hardly
worth mentioning when one considers the standard of the performance.
The use of natural horns and original instruments leads to a
heart-felt and really quite raw 'Chaos'. Walter Berry's 'Im
Anfange' is superbly authoritative, the hushed choral response
expertly balanced. Berry,
of all the soloists, has the greatest projection of narrative
power; the story in his hands grips at every syllable. Schreier's
response to the moment of Light ('Und Gott sah das Licht …')
can only be described as ringing. Such a commanding entrance
leads to an aria from Schreier of the highest musicianship ('Nun
scheanden vor dem heiligen Strahle'). Schreier is, in fact,
magnificent throughout: try the recitative at the opening of
the Third Part, 'Aus Rosenwolken bricht', and hear how he can
float his tone.

It
is almost impossible to differentiate between the soloists in
terms of pure quality. Arleen Auger, as angelic of voice as
I am sure is her archangelic character, Gabriel, is a joy in
her aria, 'Nun beut die Flur'. The way she floats her highest
register is phenomenal.

The
music moves straight from Part 1 to Part 2, where Auger delights
yet again with 'Auf starkem Fittosche schweiget sich der Adler'.
Orchestral shadings lead one to believe the orchestral members,
too, are in her thrall. And it is in this part that we have
evidence, if evidence were needed, that the soloists gel perfectly:
'In holder Anmut steh'n' is a thing of wonder. In keeping with
the prevailing standard, Adam and Eve are carefully matched
and fully live up to the expectations created. Their long duet
- 'Holde Gattin!', at over eight minutes - is tender, a perfect
foil for the bright and blazing final chorus. The choir sings
with great élan, particularly in the great 'Die Himmel erzählen
der Liebe Gottes', with superbly balanced solo contributions.
A pity the acoustic lends some blurring to proceedings here.

This
is one of the finest Creations I have heard. Camera-work
is solid and dependable, if not overly imaginative – but that
gives us the opportunity to concentrate on the musical goings-on.
Franz Kabelka's short documentary is delivered in German - with
subtitles available, of course. Kabelka is also the Director
for TV and Video of the present release. The documentary comprises
stills and photos of relevant material as visual backdrop to
the narration. Nice to hear the Kaiser Hymn played on
a keyboard, I guess. The most useful contribution it made to
my knowledge bank was to mention a version of Schöpfung
for string quartet by the now sidelined composer Paul Wranitsky;
you may find some of his wind music symphonies if you look hard
enough. If this version of Schöpfung has been recorded,
I for one would love to hear it!

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